Street Star Supports Stroke Awareness Campaign

Did you know that Asian people are more as likely to suffer a stroke than the general population? And it is more likely to be fatal.

Today The Stroke Association has launched its campaign to raise awareness of stroke in the Asian community and Shobna Gulati, who plays by Sunita Parekh in Coronation Street, has pledged her support.

"It is very worrying that so many of my community are at risk of suffering a stroke," she said. "Hopefully, this campaign will raise awareness, and help to prevent the thousands of strokes that occur each year. I am really pleased to see The Stroke Association drawing attention to this major health issue and wish them well."

Studies show that Asians living in the UK are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes, which are both major risk factors for stroke.

As part of the campaign, The Stroke Association has translated its leaflet - Stroke; Question and Answers into five different Asian languages (Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi) and an audio tape, recorded in the same languages, is also available. Other services and projects are also being undertaken by the charity.

Eoin Redahan, Director of Public Relations at The Stroke Association, said, "It is not yet fully understood why Asians living in the UK are more at risk of a stroke but it may be linked to factors such as diabetes and high blood pressure, which can be more common in this community. It is important to provide this information and these leaflets will help those who do not have English as their first language."

Ends

Notes to editor

1. Leaflets are available free to the public from The Stroke Association on 01604 623934.
2. More information, please contact The Stroke Association on 020 7566 0317 or 020 7566 0328.

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